Reality Bites by James Norton for the week of Oct. 18

The winds of change are upon us and some say it’s a new day. I would agree.
  It‚Äôs nice when things actually start happening that give promise to the future of our great city.  While the local political landscape has seen its share of change over the past ten years, for me it was very surprising until now that other issues have remained stagnant for so long.  Recent events should help change this.

The winds of change are upon us and some say it’s a new day. I would agree
  It‚Äôs nice when things actually start happening that give promise to the future of our great city.  While the local political landscape has seen its share of change over the past ten years, for me it was very surprising until now that other issues have remained stagnant for so long.  Recent events should help change this.
  For many years I have been an advocate for more widespread community involvement through both independent groups and pseudo-governmental agencies.  The fundamental need for a broader and more comprehensive vision of the long term planning for development in this city as a whole needs to be implemented for all larger-scale development areas including Inner Belt/North Point, Union Square and the Green Line Extension as well as others.
  With the advent of this week‚Äôs agreement regarding Assembly Square, the Assembly Square Public Advisory Committee (ASPAC) will be formed and should prove to be a good barometer for the way and manner in which a large-scale development and the public communicate and more importantly co-exist.  This type of advisory committee should not be a rubber stamp politically motivated group and stay true to the idea on which it is based.
  Mayor Curtatone and his administration should be applauded for their efforts to put this seemingly unending nightmare to a close and moving the whole project in the right direction.  The same goes for Federal Realty, IKEA and the Mystic View Task Force.  Say what you will about the MVTF, but can you imagine what might have been put in place there without this group sticking to its guns?   By now, in 2006, we all know how easy it is to disseminate information – whether fact or fiction – using a variety of mediums.  Putting this type of landmark deal together while keeping the process quiet and unencumbered by outside influences is remarkable.
  Keeping in the spirit of change, I will now change direction in my writing.  Recently I was been told by more than one person that my occasional ‚Äúmanic‚Äù writing style makes for a chuckle or two, although I tend to agree with this more often when I am ranting about pod people, knuckleheads and something generally pedestrian.
  This week I‚Äôm in a more serious mood.
  Alderman at Large Bill White changed his party affiliation this week from Republican to Democrat and quite frankly I‚Äôm not surprised ‚Äì it was long overdue.  Bill is arguably the smartest person in years to sit on the Board of Aldermen and to watch him try to bring some life to a party that for the most part ignored him whenever he looked for them to support was sad – not for Bill ‚Äì sad for the Republican Party itself.
  There are good and bad points about both Democrats and Republicans ‚Äì and in an ideal world a perfect candidate would be a good blend of varying ideals from each party, but that‚Äôs not how the system seems to spit out candidates at voters, so you work with what you have for the most part.   At least the system itself isn‚Äôt completely broken and people have a choice ‚Äì the choice to belong to whatever party you choose, the choice to vote for a candidate regardless of their party affiliation ‚Äì these are some of the freedoms we as citizens typically take for granted ‚Äì as evidenced by low voter turnout.
  Aside from the broader, more general aspects of party politics, Bill‚Äôs choice to change comes at a good time ‚Äì a chance for the Democrats to take back the corner office on Beacon Hill.  I didn‚Äôt think it would be possible for Deval Patrick to get elected to Governor of this great Commonwealth, but it just might happen ‚Äì I hope he doesn‚Äôt become a rubber stamp for the party line politics, doesn‚Äôt cave to special interests and doesn‚Äôt align himself as being too liberal ‚Äì that‚Äôs not what we need in that office.
  We need solid, responsible people in all public offices who care more about the people they represent than the next office they can position themselves into or what political party they belong to.
  They say that the two party system is outdated, and I say it doesn‚Äôt matter ‚Äì vote for the right candidate regardless of their party affiliation.  Do the right thing when you vote.